Adjustable shelf supports



June 14, 1955 H. A. STOLLENWERK ADJUSTABLE SHELF SUPPORTS Filed Dec. 5,1952 23 l I I I 5 20' nvwszvrox.

HARRY A. STOLLENWERK United States Pate'titO ADJUSTABLE SHELF SUPPORTSHarry A. Stollenwerk, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to 4 Porto-Rak Company,Milwaukee, Wis.

Application December 5, 1952, Serial No. 326,525

2 Claims. (Cl. 248-221) This invention relates to shelf supports, andmore particularly to a shelf support that is adjustable, in a mannerdifferent than what is specified and claimed in my co-pendingapplication Serial No. 45,880, dated August 24, 1948, now abandoned.

The object of my invention is to provide an adjustable shelf supportthat may be easily attached to a vertical angular standard.

Another object of my invention is to provide an adjustable shelf supportthat frictionally engages an angle iron standard.

A further object of my invention is to provide an adjustable shelfsupport that can be secured to an angular standard, at any desiredheight without the use of special tools or mechanical skill.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a means thatpermits constructing and erecting portable shelving in a level manner,even though it be erected on an uneven floor.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an adjustable shelfsupport that can accommodate any size of horizontal shelf, is simple inconstruction, economical to manufacture and highly eflicient for thepurpose for which it is intended.

Other and further objects of my invention not particularly mentioned inthe foregoing description will become more apparent as the descriptionproceeds, and when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figure 1, is a perspective view of the adjustable shelf support attachedto a portion of a vertical angle iron standard.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the support plate.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the support bracket.

Figure 4 is a front view of a portion of the vertical angle ironstandards, showing two shelf supports attached thereto.

Figure 5 is a top or plan view of the vertical angle iron standards incross-section showing two shelf supports attached thereto as taken atline 55 in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary front view of a plurality of shelf supportsassembled with shelves and vertical standards, and

Figure 7 is a top or plan view of a plurality of shelf supports incombination with vertical standards and shelves, taken at line 7-7 inFigure 6.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views, and referring now to the same, the character 10 showsa shelf support plate of substantially triangular shape at its top 11and having downwardly extending flanges 12 tapered at their ends 13 sothat the flanges 12 are smaller at the bottom than they are at the top.The top 11 of the shelf support plate 10 is provided with apertures 14to receive bolts, rivets or the like, not shown.

The support bracket shown as 15 is constructed of a single strip ofmaterial and formed to a contour to receive the downwardly extendingflanges 12 of the shelf support plate 10. The outwardly depending endsof the Patented June 14, 1955 support brackets 15 are bent tosubstantially U shape at their ends 16 and are cut at 17 so that theends 16 are narrower than the rest of the bracket. The angular bracket15 is also bent at 18 and 18' so as to form an offset 19, of a contourto fit around the outside face of the angle iron standards 20 and 20'.

The vertical standards 21 are constructed of a pair of angle irons 2i}and 20 joined with horizontal. spacers 22,

T 0 construct shelving, the support bracket 15 is placed on the verticalstandard 22 so that the corner 19 of the bracket 15 engages the angleiron standards 20 or 20' around the outside face thereof, at the desiredheight.

The shelf support plate 10 is then placed on the inside of the angleiron standard above the bracket 15 and the downwardly extending flanges12 engage the bracket 15. As the shelf support plate 10 is brought down,the flanges 12 engage the U-shaped ends 16 of the bracket 15 wedgingthem between the tapered ends of the bracket 16 and the inside of theangle iron standard. The more pressure brought on the top of the shelfsupport 10, the tighter the bracket is secured to the standard due tothe tapered ends 16 of the bracket 15 and the taper 13 on the flanges12. The bracket 15 is cut at 17 so that the ends of the bracket arenarrower, thereby allowing the shelf support to be brought flush withthe top of the support bracket.

When the adjustable shelf supports are secured in position on thevertical standards, any type of shelving, whether wood or metal may beplaced thereon. The shelves 23 may be laid in position as shown inFigures 6 and 7, or may be secured by means of boltsor rivets (notshown), said bolts or rivets would extend through the shelf and engagethe apertures 14 of the shelf support plate 10.

It is manifest to anyone familiar with the art of constructing shelvingthat it is often imperative to provide a plurality of shelves of variedheights in a horizontal manner, the device described provides anefficient means of constructing shelving in a level manner even thoughthe floor is uneven. Due to the fact that the shelf supportsfrictionally engage the vertical standards, it is possible to obtain anyadjustment, and the support can be retained at any height on thestandard.

The device described herein is both fully adjustable and portable, canbe constructed to any size or shape and can be easily disassembled whenthe shelving has to be moved to a different location.

In the chosen embodiments of my invention, there are many features notheretofore described in the prior art, and while I may have shown aspecific structure, I am fully aware of the fact that many changes maybe made in its form and configuration without affecting itsoperativeness, and I reserve the right to make such changes as I mayfind convenient without departing from the spirit of the invention orthe scope of the depending claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent in the United States is:

1. A shelf support to be used in combination with a vertical angle ironstandard, said support comprising the combination of a horizontaltriangular plate and a vertical angular bracket, said plate havingdownwardly disposed flanges extending at right angles thereto along twoof its adjoining edges, the angularly spaced ends of said flanges beingtapered from their attachment to said plate to their lower edge, saidbracket being bent at a right angle forming two legs for contact withthe outer faces of said vertical angle iron standard, the free ends ofthe legs being folded to form channels, said channels being tapered inthe same direction as the tapered ends of said flanges to accommodatethe tapered end of the flanges on said plate when said plate is disposedthereon.

2. A shelf support to be used in combination with a vertical angle ironstandard said support comprising, the combination of a horizontal plateand a vertical angular bracket, said plate having downwardly disposedflanges extending at right angles thereto along two of its adjoiningedges, the angularly spaced ends of said flanges being tapered from theattachment to said plate to the lower edge thereof, said bracket beingbent at a right angle at its central portion forming two legs, offsetsin said legs to accommodate the sides of said vertical angle ironstandard when said bracket is placed in contact with the outer sides ofsaid vertical angle iron standard, the ends of said legs being returnbent into channels closed at their ends and tapered to accommodate thetapered ends' of the flanges of said plates when said flanges engagesaid channels.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Ebert May 2, Scottron Sept. 12, Morrison July 5,Bellig June 7, Wismer June 15, Marsh Feb. 1,

FOREIGN PATENTS France Oct. 24,

